Missy Elliott Is Elle Magazine’s June 2017 Cover Star: ‘One thing I won’t do is compromise.’

The incomparable Missy Elliott is making headlines yet again, but this time for her poppin’ and ageless appearance as she graces Elle’s forthcoming June cover. The cover was actually leaked by fashion designer Marc Jacobs, who although can sometimes be problematic, gets a big thank you this time around. In the editorial, the 45-year-old singer/rapper dons his Fall/Winter 2017 collection punctuated by a hat by Stephen Jones in photographs taken by Mark Seliger.

The singer-songwriter/dancer/rapper/producer was the perfect symbol to bring Jacobs’ looks to life because much of the Fall/Winter 2017 collection is hip-hop inspired. And if you didn’t know who Missy Elliott is, she is more than influential in that realm.

A post shared by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on May 10, 2017 at 8:48am PDT

Although the cover was leaked, Elle did confirm that it was real and that Missy would be one of the faces featured on the cover of their June edition. She might not be the only cover girl, but she might just be the most significant.

“One thing I won’t do is compromise. I will never do something based on what everybody else is telling me to do. And have to kick myself in the ass every night. Nah. I have to make sure that it’s right. I’ve been through so many stumbling blocks to build a legacy, so I wouldn’t want to do something just to fit in. Because I never fit in. So….”

On her iconic plastic bag suit in “The Rain”:

“To me, the outfit was a way to mask my shyness behind all the chaos of the look. Although I am shy, I was never afraid to be a provocative woman. The outfit was a symbol of power. I loved the idea of feeling like a hip-hop Michelin woman. I knew I could have on a blow-up suit and still have people talking. It was bold and different. I’ve always seen myself as an innovator and a creative unlike any other.”

A post shared by Mark Seliger (@markseliger) on May 11, 2017 at 8:31am PDT

Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott got her start with the all-female group Sista before becoming a member of the R&B and hip-hop collective Swing Mob, which featured her childhood friend and collaborator Timbaland (and also included Ginuwine, Tweet, Majik, Stevie J., Playa, and Aaliyah). With Timbaland, she found a constant collaborator, and they worked with 702, Total, SWV, and most significantly, Aaliyah.

Her solo career started officially in 1997 with her album Supa Dupa Fly. Since then, she has spawned hit singles like “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”, “Sock It 2 Me”, “Hot Boyz”, “Get Ur Freak On”, “One Minute Man”, “Gossip Folks”, “Work It”, and more. Missy was known and heralded for her moves, her rhymes, her voice, her brazen approach to sexuality in her lyrics, and her interesting creative take on things like fashion and music video direction.

Over the course of her career, Elliot has accrued five Grammys and has sold over 30 million records in the US alone.

Hopefully, her gracing the mag’s 2017 Women in Music cover means she’ll be gifting our ears with a new album soon.